Hugo's House

When: Sun Apr 3, 2011 to Sun Apr 10, 2011 

Event Status: confirmed

When: Fri May 18, 2012 5:30pm to 8:30pm  PDT

Who: Corae Bracken
Where: Pacifica Paddle - Brentwood Bay (789 Saunders Lane, Brentwood Bay, BC, Canada)
Event Status: confirmed

When: Sat May 26, 2012 1:30pm to 4:30pm  PDT

Who: Corae Bracken
Event Status: confirmed

When: Sun Jun 10, 2012 12pm to 3pm  PDT

Who: Corae Bracken
Event Status: confirmed

When: Mon May 21, 2012 11am to 2pm  PDT

Who: Corae Bracken
Where: Blenkinsop Valley Adventure Golf (4239 Blenkinsop Road, Victoria, BC, Canada)
Event Status: confirmed

When: Sun May 27, 2012 1:30pm to 4:30pm  PDT

Who: Corae Bracken
Event Status: confirmed

When: Sun Jun 3, 2012 1:30pm to 4:30pm  PDT

Who: Corae Bracken
Event Status: confirmed

Note from Con Slobodchikoff: This post is by Karen London, PhD, CAAB, CPDT, who regularly contributes posts to this blog and is also a frequent contributor to Bark Magazine as well as author or co-author of a number of books on dog behavior.

One of the questions I receive most often is how to become a
canine behaviorist or trainer. Neither is a career with a typical path made up
of a standard educational program followed by an exam or an approved
internship. All of us in the field have carved our own way, which is why there
are so many variations on the story we each tell about how we came to do what
we do. While there are many paths to a career in this field, some basic advice
applies to all of them.

The most important advice I like to give to anyone with an
interest in this type of work is that there are two equally important aspects
of preparing for such careers. I feel strongly that the best trainers and
behaviorists have pursued both avenues as part of their education.

One is acquiring the knowledge you’ll need in this field,
and that involves learning a lot about a variety of areas: canine ethology,
learning theory, coaching skills, proper equipment, and business. To educate
yourself in these areas requires a lot of reading of books and blogs,
supplemented by seminars, online or in-person courses, webinars, and workshops.

The second, and equally important area is practical
experience and hands-on work with animals. All the book learning in the world
will not take you very far as a behaviorist and trainer if you don’t have the
skills to actually work with a dog. The best ways to acquire these practical
skills are with a combination of workshops, training your own and friends’ dogs,
and volunteering at a place with a lot of animals, such as a shelter or humane
organization, a rescue group, a veterinary clinic, or a dog-training business.

In my experience, most people are stronger in one area or
the other. Either they are really on top of the knowledge and information side
of things but a bit weak on dog handling skills or they are highly skilled with
dogs but could benefit from having more information at their disposal. The
people who really excel as dog trainers and behaviorists are balanced—very
knowledgeable and highly skilled.

When I started doing this kind of work full time, I was far
more advanced in my book learning than my dog handling skills. I had completed
my Ph.D. in zoology with an emphasis in ethology, and I was in good shape in
terms of what I knew. (To clarify, I think it’s critical not ever to be done
learning, so I follow my own advice and continue to learn, especially with a
lot of reading and also with webinars and conferences when I can). Though I had
good practical skills for working with large colonies of stinging wasps, as was
required for my dissertation work, I lacked enough experience with dogs, and
that’s what I set out to correct.

I worked as a dog groomer for a year just to get to know my
new species of choice, while I worked as an assistant trainer and then as a
trainer. I remember after that year when I began my internship with behaviorist
Patricia McConnell, she once said to me, “I’m as proud of my dog training
skills as I am of my Ph. D. They were equally hard to acquire.” That comment
has always stayed with me, reminding me of the importance of excelling in both
knowledge and practical skills. These skills must be practiced regularly to be
maintained.

If you haven’t yet worked a lot with dogs, you may wonder what
sorts of skills I’m talking about. The things that people who work with dogs
need to be able to do is practice with dogs of every temperament, size, and
learning style. They include:

Getting them in and out of kennels and crates

Using your own expressions and postures to set even fearful
dogs at ease

Having excellent timing with reinforcement, such as treats
and clickers or other markers

Using your voice and modulating its tone and volume

Managing the leash when working with exuberant or even
aggressive dogs.

Attaching and fitting all sorts of head collars, harness,
and leashes

Body blocking

Moving in space with dogs for turns, stops, accelerations

If you are interested in a career as a behaviorist or
trainer, know that you will be working with people as much as with dogs. If you
want to work with animals because you love them and aren’t so fond of people,
this is not the right field for you. People and dogs are two of my very
favorite species, which is lucky since I spend so much time with members of
both of them.

Best of luck to all of you who want to be in this field. I
love my work and I would recommend it to anyone who loves dogs as much as I do!

 --Karen London

 

Note from Con Slobodchikoff (www.conslobodchikoff.com): The following post was written by Starr Ladehoff, Certified Professional Dog Trainer -- Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA), and Director Elect, Board of Directors, Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers. She is an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator (#71153) and a Canine Life and Social Skills Evaluator (#E750403). Starr does training and behavioral consulting at Arizona Pet Professionals, LLC, www.ArizonaPetPro.com. Her email is starr800@gmail.com.

(Disclaimer: The Dog Behavior Blog has no affiliation with, nor receives any compensation from, any of the dog behavior web sites or organizations listed in this post).

In a world full of credentials for everything from doctors to technicians, it is often challenging to make sense of what they mean and in the dog training and behavior industry, credentials are becoming quite popular. Many trainers have some form of certification or are on their way to obtaining one. Through the maze and haze of all of these symbols that grow every year, it is worth taking a look at what several of the popularly listed credentials mean.

There are three main types of certification as described by Susan Smith, CPDT-KA, CDBC of Raising Canine, LLC in her article posted on her school website – www.becomeaprofessionaldogtrainer.com.

· The first certification signifies you have completed a course of study and met standards discerned by the organization providing the course – giving you a certificate of completion or diploma. The testing process is geared to the organization’s curriculum so one may or may not be limited in proficiency.

· The second type of certification is where one has met standards of a member-driven organization and, like the first, it may be driven by a certain point of view or methodology.

· The third type is where one has met standards that are independent of any organization; these standards are based in science, or are accepted industry standards. Regardless of how you obtained your education, the tests are standardized for the profession.

In the second and third cases, there are often continuing education requirements to keep the certification up to date and in the third case periodic renewal of the certification almost always required.

The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) is the only independent, psychometrically sound, certifying organization for dog trainers, to date. The certification is met by sitting for a knowledge based exam (CPDT-KA); CCPDT has recently added a skills based exam (CPDT-KSA) and an exam for behavior consultants (CBCC-KA or -KSA).

The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) encourages people to attain certification and has a list of approved certifications they recognize as meeting their standards. Below is the list of approved certifications by the APDT as listed on their website www.apdt.com:

Credential By Organization

CPDT-KA (Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed) By Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers

ACAAB (Associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist) By Animal Behavior Society

CAAB (Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist) By Animal Behavior Society

CABC (Certified Animal Behavior Consultant) By International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants

CDBC (Certified Dog Behavior Consultant) By International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants

CCAB (Certified Clinical Behavior Consultant) By International Association for the Study of Animal Behavior

DACVB (Diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists) By American College of Veterinary Behaviorists

The following are some of the schools with certificate programs that provide a certificate upon completion of their program (there is usually no requirement for continuing education):

Credential By Organization

ABCDT (Animal Behavior College Certified Dog Trainer) By Animal Behavior College

DipCBST (Diploma of Canine Science Behavior and Technology) By Companion Animal Science Institute

KPCT (Karen Pryor Certified Trainer) By Karen Pryor Academy

PMCT(1,2,3) Pat Miller Certified Trainer levels 1, 2 & 3) By Pat Miller Academy

TCA Trainer By Triple Crown Academy

If you are thinking of becoming certified as a dog trainer, when deciding on a certification, consider the type of credential you feel would best suit your needs and what value you will receive in obtaining it. If you are looking at a program that gives a certificate or diploma upon completion, look at methodology and course curriculum. Communicate with graduates and ask why they chose a specific program in addition to asking if they feel benefited by the credential. Most credentials and programs offer benefits and perks to those who have graduated or obtained the certification including exposure to the public, discounts for various items or services and groups to join for advice and support. Other programs that don’t offer a certification, such as www.becomeaprofessionaldogtrainer.com provide a thorough curriculum to prepare you for training and/or CCPDT certification in the future.

If you are trying to find a dog trainer who is credentialed, ask them what their designation means and what it took to get it or look at where it was obtained and what standards were met to get it. Talk to the trainer’s references. Make sure you feel comfortable with the trainer and their methods and experience. Ask questions of those who state they are a “behaviorist” without the PhD or certification to back it up.

While there are many amazing trainers without a certification, it is my opinion that we improve ourselves and our profession by obtaining a valid and respected credential that was obtained by testing one’s knowledge of the science of canine behavior.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note from Con Slobodchikoff (www.conslobodchikoff.com): The following post was written by Starr Ladehoff, Certified Professional Dog Trainer -- Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA), and Director Elect, Board of Directors, Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers. She is an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator (#71153) and a Canine Life and Social Skills Evaluator (#E750403). Starr does training and behavioral consulting at Arizona Pet Professionals, LLC, www.ArizonaPetPro.com. Her email is starr800@gmail.com.

 

Most of us have been told we should socialize our dogs for them to be ok with other dogs, animals and people but what does that really mean?  Is it free-for-all play with all types of dogs and letting them “figure it out?” Should we take them to different places with lots of people and/or animals so they can “work through their fears?” To answer these questions, we should consider how a dog’s social development progresses from the time they begin the process into adulthood.

 

The primary socialization period starts at age 3 weeks! Puppies learn they are dogs. The littermates begin to play with each other practicing survival techniques for later on in life such as biting, barking, fighting, posturing and chasing. During this period, which lasts up to approximately 12 weeks, puppies go through major changes both physically and socially. They learn to accept corrections from their mother and to use submissive postures. They learn to relate to their littermates and develop a loose hierarchy within the litter. If puppies are separated from their litter before 7 weeks, their ability to get along with other dogs may be affected and they may not have learned to inhibit the force of their bite.

 

Between the ages of 7 and 12 weeks, they learn what human beings are and to accept them as safe. This is the time when rapid learning occurs and any experience the puppy goes through has the greatest impact on future social behavior, good or bad. Teach your puppy the house rules and give them structure but keep in mind their short attention span and physical limitations. Although puppies can continue to learn to be comfortable with new things, it is not as easy as during this period. This is why the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends proper socialization classes and experiences as early as 7 to 8 weeks of age. Although puppies are not completely immune to disease this young, there is greater risk for behavioral problems developing later on in life due to incomplete or improper socialization. To read the position statement on puppy socialization from the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, go to www.avsabonline.org.

 

As puppies age, they go through two “fear imprinting” periods. Any traumatic event the puppy experiences can have a more lasting effect and may last for life. The first fear period is between 8 and 11 weeks. Be careful not to put your puppy into stressful or frightening situations. No wild costume parties during this time of their life! The second fear period is between 6 and 14 months old. Many dogs will become more reactive during this time or become suddenly apprehensive about new things. In large breeds, this period could extend longer. Puppies have individual personalities just like we do so what is scary for one may not be for another. By becoming familiar with canine body language you will learn to recognize fear signals your dog might display.

 

So what is proper socialization? Socialization is not simply dog/dog play, though that can be part of it.

Socialization really is:

• Exposure to the world the dog will be a part of in a safe manner with rules and guidelines
• Learning to be calm when the world is stimulating
• Learning to respond to signals when that is not what they want to do

Yes! Socialization is learning and maintaining acceptable behavior in any situation, especially when they would rather not. It is learning to handle any experience they will normally encounter throughout their life without becoming fearful, overly stimulated, reactive or aggressive.

 

Getting to know the breed(s) in your dog will help you understand their predispositions to sociability. Some breed types are more likely to continue puppy sociability into adulthood like sporting dogs and companion dogs (retrievers and spaniels). More of the breeds however become less tolerant such as terriers, guard dogs, herding dogs and bully breeds. Some dogs grow to become consistent challengers and others consistently remain passive.

 

Seeking out proper socializing experiences such as well-structured puppy classes or one on one play dates with other appropriate dogs is a vital part of proper socialization. A great puppy class may have a safe, mature dog for the puppies to learn from who will teach them boundaries. Puppies should be matched by personality and play style. Sharing games like the retrieve/drop should be taught to avoid possessiveness and teach relinquishment of unsafe items. Learning to come happily back to their person during play is an extremely important skill to learn at any age. Your dog should look to you for guidance and be willingly dependent upon you.

 

If you have a mature dog who is easily stimulated, teach them to relax before allowing them to socialize. If you have an adult dog who would rather not be around other dogs or people, don’t force them to socialize – they may never change and you might end up with a fight or other problem behavior.  Encourage and teach passive play instead of overly aroused play. If you have a dog or multiple dogs who play rough, do a lot of interruptions and call them to you happily rewarding them for paying attention. Teach them to play together with toys instead of mouthing each other. Overly aroused play can lead to aggression as dogs mature so be careful, particularly with the breeds who tend to go from 0-60 in about 2 seconds!

 

Proper socialization is an art! Be patient, kind and consistent while teaching social skills. Both you and your dog should be having fun. If you feel you have a dog with socialization issues, seek advice from a qualified behavior professional. 

 

When: Wed Feb 29, 2012 12:30pm to 1:30pm  PST

Event Status: confirmed

When: Wed Mar 14, 2012

Event Status: confirmed